Santa Cruz County, CA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Scope
- inside licensed cardrooms during active card games only
- Duty holder
- cardroom owner, operator, or employee
- Enacted
- Ord. 4508 Section 2, 1998
- Companion rule
- alcohol banned on premises (SS 5.16.100)
- Companion rule
- intoxicated play barred (SS 5.16.110)
- Penalty
- misdemeanor, up to $500 fine and/or 6 months jail
Summary
Santa Cruz County has no general public loitering law; its only codified loitering rule sits inside the cardroom chapter. SCCC Section 5.16.120 bars a cardroom owner, operator, or employee from letting anyone loiter inside the room while card games are in progress, backed by the chapter's misdemeanor penalty.
No cardroom owner, operator or employee shall permit any person to loiter within the cardroom while card games are in progress.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5004302; v11 updated 2026-05-19; through 05-19-2026).
Full Breakdown
16, Cardrooms, enacted by Ordinance 4508 in 1998, and it applies only inside a licensed cardroom while card games are actually being played. 110 bars staff from letting anyone play while obviously under the influence of intoxicants or drugs. Together these three sections form the cardroom's on-premises conduct code, aimed at keeping the gaming floor orderly and preventing non-players from congregating around active tables. There is no separate, general-purpose loitering ordinance for streets, parks, or business districts in the unincorporated county code; a search of the code's public-conduct provisions turns up nothing outside this cardroom-specific rule.
Violations & Fines
Because Section 5.16.120 falls within Chapter 5.16, a violation is punished under the chapter's general penalty at SCCC Section 5.16.260: a misdemeanor carrying a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment in county jail for not more than six months, or both. Each day the violation continues or is permitted counts as a separate, independently chargeable offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Santa Cruz County have a general loitering law for sidewalks or parks?
Who is responsible for stopping loitering in a cardroom?
What is the penalty for allowing loitering in a licensed cardroom?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Cruz County
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Cruz County to another location·View the California public conduct overview
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